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NHL Capsules

WINNIPEG – A night that started with boos for Winnipeg’s old team ended with a well-deserved standing ovation for the new Jets.

Ondrej Pavelec made 33 saves in his second shutout of the season and Bryan Little’s first-period goal held up as the Jets beat Phoenix 1-0 in the Coyotes’ first game back in Winnipeg since leaving for the desert in 1996.

Little scored the game’s only goal off a rebound while Coyotes goalie Mike Smith was out of position.

Some fans showed that hard feelings over the club’s relocation haven’t died. The Coyotes were booed when they came on the ice and every time a Phoenix player had the puck, including captain Shane Doan, one of the last original Jets left in the NHL.

Doan wasn’t surprised he and his teammates were booed.

“They’re a passionate fan base and they love their Jets,” he said.

Winnipeg (10-11-4), the former Atlanta Thrashers who relocated before this season, snapped a two-game losing streak. After the game, the crowd gave the Jets a standing ovation the players saluted the fans by raising their sticks before leaving the ice.

WASHINGTON (AP)—Chris Kunitz scored the tiebreaking goal at 2:36 of the third period, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Washington 2-1 Thursday night to keep the Capitals winless under new coach Dale Hunter.

Craig Adams also scored for the Penguins, who improved to 4-1-1 since captain Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup following an 11-month absence with a concussion.

Jason Chimera got his team-leading 10th goal for the Capitals, who were 11-0-2 against their bitter rivals in the regular season since March 8, 2009.

Tomas Vokoun stopped 33 shots, but the Capitals couldn’t back his effort with any offensive firepower. The Capitals took only 17 shots against Marc-Andre Fleury in their second straight 2-1 loss since Hunter replaced the fired Bruce Boudreau on Monday.

Crosby was held without a point for only the second time in six games since his return.

Washington’s Alex Ovechkin was also held without a point, and he has only one goal in 10 games.

RANGERS 5, HURRICANES 3

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)—Ryan McDonagh, Marian Gaborik and Sean Avery scored in a 4:53 span of the second period, and the New York Rangers rallied to beat Carolina for their fourth straight win.

Ryan Callahan and Michael Sauer had the other goals for the Rangers, who got points from 14 players and earned their 11th win in 13 games. Martin Biron made 28 saves in a spot start for No. 1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

New York remained three points behind Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh, but the Rangers have played four fewer games than the Penguins.

Derek Joslin, Jeff Skinner and Jiri Tlutsy scored goals for Carolina, winless in two games under new coach Kirk Muller. Cam Ward made 22 saves for the Hurricanes, who have lost five in a row and are last in the Southeast Division.

STARS 3, SENATORS 2

DALLAS (AP)—Eric Nystrom scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:20 left and Dallas rallied for a victory over Ottawa,

Milan Michalek had given the Senators a 2-1 advantage at 11:42 of the final period with his team-high 15th goal.

Radek Dvorak and Steve Ott also scored for Dallas, and Andrew Raycroft made 33 saves. Dvorak got Dallas even at 2 with 5:34 left in the third period.

CALGARY (AP)—Rick Nash scored the tying goal with 58 seconds left in regulation and then netted the only goal in the shootout to give Columbus a victory over Calgary.

Calgary led 3-1 with less than five minutes left in the third period, and appeared to be in control, but Nikita Nikitin and Nash scored to tie it.

Calgary became the final NHL team to go to a shootout this season, but failed to pull out the win. Alex Tanguay, Lee Stempniak and Rene Bourque were all stopped by Sanford in the tiebreaker.

After Jeff Carter and Fedor Tyutin were denied by Miikka Kiprusoff, Nash scored the decisive goal by faking a shot before sliding the puck between Kiprusoff’s legs.

Antoine Vermette also scored for Columbus (7-15-3), 4-2-2 in its last eight games.

Stempniak, Bourque and Blake Comeau scored for Calgary (10-12-2).

SHARKS 4, CANADIENS 3, SO

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—Joe Pavelski scored in the sixth round of the shootout and Antti Niemi sealed the win with a sliding pad save against P.K. Subban as San Jose beat Montreal.

Ryane Clowe tied the game with 1:26 left in regulation, and after a fast-paced overtime, the Sharks maintained their home dominance over the Canadiens in the shootout. San Jose has won six straight at home against Montreal, last losing 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 23, 1999.

The Canadiens looked as though they would end that dry spell when Erik Cole gave them a 3-2 lead midway through the third. But after Clowe tied it, the Sharks pulled it out in the shootout.

Logan Couture and Jamie McGinn scored and Niemi made 29 saves for the Sharks, who avoided matching a season-worst, three-game losing streak.

David Desharnais had a goal and two assists, and Cole and Michael Cammalleri each had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who have lost four in a row.

Sean Bergenheim scored for Florida, and Jose Theodore stopped 23 shots. The Panthers are 0-7 against the Kings since Nov. 27, 2002.

Kris Versteeg, who leads Florida with 12 goals and 26 points in his first season with the club, was scratched for the first time because of a broken nose after getting elbowed by Carolina’s Derek Joslin during Tuesday’s 3-1 win.

Los Angeles killed all six Florida power plays—including a double minor to Mike Richards that carried over into the third period. The Kings have killed 24 straight penalties.

Schneider, who gets sporadic starts behind No. 1 goalie Roberto Luongo, was pulled following the first period after giving up three goals on five shots.

Nashville’s Pekka Rinne had it almost as rough, and was replaced by Anders Lindback after the Canucks took a 5-3 lead in the second period. Lindback made several key saves in the third period and stopped all 19 shots he faced.